On March 15, 1781, in what is now Greensboro, the British won the Battle of Guilford Courthouse but were greatly weakened, which helped the Americans to win the War for Independence. If you would like to learn more about this famous local battle, take a look at these books.

This is the longest, most complete book on the battle. It draws on pension documents, muster rolls, and personal accounts, getting down to such details as where particular individuals stood on the battlefield, when they were there, and what they probably saw. Babits teaches history at East Carolina University, and Howard is a research historian at the NC Office of Archives and History.

Tom Baker, a historian who worked for the National Park Service at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, used to travel to West Point to teach this book to the cadets. He illustrated his outstanding description of the battle with the National Park Service’s troop movement plans.

Davis was a North Carolina writer known for histories and biographies. He studied at Guilford College. His home, near Greensboro, had been used as Cornwallis’ headquarters and as a hospital after the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.